We fairies that do run
by relaxovision
Summary: "One single word was growled, or rather echoed in her head: "Queer" And with its left hoof first the monster shot forward with an unbelievable force, ready to unleash hell upon the little girl." NOT AU!
1. First encounter

**We fairies that do run from the presence of the sun**

**We follow darkness like a dream**

1: First encounter

As a door to the unknown opened up, Santana felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She knew she had to catch a glimpse of what may lie behind the crack. Curious that she was her little feet carried her closer; it was a magnetism greater than life itself and whatever it was that she was about to see, it would alter her molecules, it would change her view on everything for good.

Right as she stood by the door, raising her tiny hand to push it further open she found herself standing on the other side. Before she could understand what was happening to her the door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang and for a brief moment she stood there lost and found in a whole new world. She dared to inch forward into the undiscovered lands, the path lying free and open before her.

The light breeze blowing in her face and pulling at her dark locks smelled fresh and new, not like anything she had ever experienced before. With wide eyes and her heart beating out of her chest she admired the beauty around her. What a mysterious place this truly was. The path she was following led up a small hill and the sun seemed to embrace its top with the warmest of light. To both her sides grew trees and bushes, forming a magical forest, full of secrets, waiting to be revealed. And meadows greener than you could imagine and wider than the human eye could see framed the hill Santana was walking towards just perfectly.

Just as she was about to smile at the sight she saw it. She heard it. She felt the beast staring at her with red grim eyes as if it had been waiting for her its entire life. A giant that was about to consume her with heart and soul, sucking out her will to live by degrading her to the point where she would beg to be killed; to a point where she might happily give her life away voluntarily just to stop the pain. One single word was growled, or rather echoed in her head:

"Queer"

And with its left hoof first the monster shot forward with an unbelievable force, ready to unleash hell upon the little girl.

Frozen at first, Santana now attempted to disappear back to where she had come from: the safety of her home; except when she turned around the door was gone. Whimpering she looked around for help, for shelter, but there was no one around to comfort her. She was alone. For the first time ever she was truly alone. There were shadows crawling at her feet, searching for halt to pull themselves up towards her heart.

With a loud desperate shriek Santana gathered all her strength and disappeared into the bushes.

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><p><strong>Note: The title of the story is lovingly stolen from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I got the inspiration for this whole series while watching "All things shall be peace" from "Were the world mine". If you don't know that movie, watch it. You can easily find it on youtube. It has Shakespeare, it has music, it has queers. What else can you wish for?<strong>

**The next part won't be as abstract, so keep reading :)**


	2. Ambush

2: Ambush

Picking on Rachel was easy. She was small, her nose was too big, she dressed like a grandma and lived with two gay guys under one roof. No one really liked her. Also, she kind of asked for it with her constant need of approval and her desperate attempts to be seen. The safe spot in the bushes was popular so in order to get there you had to climb over a few bodies. There was no waiting in the queue.

Santana had learned a few things during High School: There were those who fought, those who won, those who lost and those who somehow wiggled their way around the fights.

Quinn fought with everything she had, nails and teeth, which got her the well deserved titles of queen bitch and head cheerleader. Everyone else played by her rules.

There were some other kids, no one cared about and some of them probably wouldn't make it to their senior year. They were lost souls who had given up before the war had even started. That wheelchair kid, for example or this weird Goth chick who never said a word to anyone. On a ranking list of popularity from 1 to 10 they were an even zero; canon fodder to make an easy body count before the real showdown could begin.

Then there was Rachel who constantly dared to question the hierarchy at McKinley. Poor thing. Just like Quinn she was fighting, but her struggles were doomed to fail over and over again and again. Once you've tripped you're being run over. Stumble once and it's too late. The first mean comment directed at you, the first time you fail to claim your position, the first time you show weakness, marks your downfall. There is no getting up from there. Once the bullying has started you are dead meat. They've declared open season on you.

Santana never initiated anything (that would have been too obvious). Instead she preferred to lean back and let others choose a victim. She was too wise, too careful to put herself out there. If you become too cocky you are heard. And if you are heard, you will be next. Prevention was her first priority.

The brunette was comfortable wearing the Cheerios uniform that made her look like everyone else. Where Rachel was shining in bright colors, the Latina wore her red and white camouflage outfit. When Rachel sang at the top of her lungs, Santana laughed just loud enough to join in her friends.

She belonged to the last group: the ambushing folks, who were mistaken as pawns and therefore never got attacked.

"What a loser." Santana agreed giggling when Quinn nudged her with her elbow as they watched Rachel's latest video, which featured no one other than herself singing Barbra Streisand.

She would have sold her soul to have the courage to switch places with the brave girl on the screen.

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><p><strong>Yea, welcome to highschool, Santana. Next part will contain Brittany :)<strong>


	3. The Frontline is everywhere

3: The Frontline is everywhere

What a magnificent world she was living in. Santana's heart skipped a beat when she felt warmth rushing through her veins, filling her with contentment. For once in her life she felt complete as the sun seemed to shine directly on her back. It was almost enough to let her walls crack; almost.

Birds were singing her favourite tune; no other sound was audible. She was back at the place of her childhood dreams.

Slowly she pulled away from the softest kiss she could imagine. Her eyes fluttered open and found a pair of blue ones studying her face with delight. She was so close to Brittany she could easily count the light freckles on her nose and her breath lay sweet on her lips. Her tight embrace didn't feel like anything else she had ever felt. It felt like home, even more than home did.

Not willing to let go she let her chin rest on the blonde's shoulder, her fingers tugging at the back of Brittany's top. Who would have thought ten fingers and two palms on your back could feel this amazing?

These last few steps further uphill had not been as hard as she would have thought. Just a little more and she would be able to see the horizon. This wasn't a very scary place after all.

"We should go out sometime."

Flash!

Santana's brain started racing and her eyes popped open. Her mind was flooded with images, images of the woman in her neighborhood who found her house being tagged with "DYKE" one day and disappeared and no one would even talk about her anymore; images of this one time her dad saw a gay couple make out on television and he couldn't switch the channel quickly enough; images of kids being picked on for minor offenses. She heard her mom say how much she wanted grandchildren and there was her brother's voice in her ear declaring how hot dykes really were, but only when they let you join. There was the pressure of commitment and Chinese babies and getting old together and dying alone and not being able to dance at your own wedding and never to take dancing classes or go to the movies while holding hands and having to play softball and getting a flat top and Thelma and Louise. Sexual harassment; teenage suicide; losing friends and being alone; serious conversations about her private life; skateboards; slushies; Quinn; Puck; Finn; Karofsky; Cheerios; Lima….

It wasn't easy to ignore how the smile on Brittany's face faded as Santana tiptoed backwards away from the clearing into the safety of the brushwood.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter's title is from "No Shelter" by Rage against the machine.<strong>

**It's going to get worse before it gets better.**


	4. Duck and Cover

4: Duck and Cover

With her knees tightly hugged in front of her chest, Santana's eyes were pinned on the little space beneath the door. She could make out shadows of bodies and saw feet passing by. She heard girly voices talking and giggling and fading again each time the main door squeaked twice, once at being opened, once at being closed.

Frozen still she sat in her lair, contemplating at what point she hadn't been careful enough. After spending so much time in the wilderness, Santana definitely knew her way around the woods. She knew how to set a trap, which fruits to eat and which to leave.

She had also become a master of covering her tracks.

"Be a girl for once." her mother had yelled at her when she was little and playing with her older brother, giggling, free, not minding if she'd get dirt on her clothes or bruises on her arms.

Her fake lashes and a boob job were evidence enough that she had definitely accomplished that mission. Everyone would agree that she knew how to dress, how to do her hair… she remembered how Brittany used to braid her hair; how she would slowly run her fingers through her dark locks and take her time to place every single strand of hair exactly where it belonged. It always took hours, but Santana didn't mind. She would never get impatient with Brittany in such situations. Also, she couldn't help but think that the blonde was doing this on purpose; greedily stealing all the time she could get in these rare moments of intimacy with Santana. No one braided Santana's hair nowadays, though and she wore it down, just out of principle.

She also knew how to do her make-up so it would emphasize her best features. Brittany never liked it when she wore a lot of make-up. In one of her sweet moments she had told Santana she shouldn't be hiding her face; that her natural look was perfect. She had said it casually while searching through her closet as Santana was copying Quinn's homework for both of them. She had said it as if it was nothing special, just a random fact and she probably didn't even remember the situation. But Santana remembered. And now that Brittany wasn't there anymore to tell her anything, Santana hid her face perfectly; just because she could; just because Brittany had told her not to.

Yes. She knew how to cover her tracks.

And yet, here she was, hiding from the Minotaur. The monster had set the whole forest in flames just to scare her out. All she could do now, she figured, jittering and shivering in the bathroom stall, trapped between fire and quicksand, was to hold out and wait. At some point the flames would die, she would be able to return and everything would get back to normal.

Normal. Everything would soon be normal again.

"I found you."

There it was again. Sitting stock-still Santana felt the little hairs on the back of her neck raise at the terrifying epiphany.

All she ever wanted was to belong. The door squeaked open once again and two of her former Cheerio teammates entered. They went on about homework assignments and boys and the latest charts music and what-not. A little sob escaped Santana's throat, barely audible, but painfully real. Her brain was only filled with one sentence now:

"I will belong."

* * *

><p><strong>References:<strong>

****"Duck and Cover" was a suggested method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear weapon which the United States Government taught to school children from the early 1950s into the 1980s. Yes that happened. Watch it on youtube! Do I compare coming-out to the explosion of a nuclear bomb? Maybe. "Duck and Cover" surely is ineffective in both situations, though.****

**"Be a girl for once" is something I stole from Rizzoli and Isles. When Jane's mom said it something broke inside me and I just HAD to use it.**

**"I found you" is from Gantz, which seems to inspire me way too much. Kei Kurono has just killed a whole lot of aliens and the one survivor comes to take revenge. Kei is at school in the middle of a lesson when the very sentence I used pops into his head and he realizes it's the alien talking to him. Weird, huh.**


	5. A reason to be afraid

5: A reason to be afraid

Glancing over from her semi-protected corner between lockers she saw Kurt crash into the wall behind him and sink to the ground. Completely beaten he shattered into pieces, resembling all her hopes, all her love.

She had seen the Minotaur coming, the force of his anger making her stumble back into the niche she was now standing in. She had seen him racing through the maze towards Kurt and all she had been able to do was to jump backwards, hoping it wasn't her he was after; hoping she'd get away one more time; hoping his hatred and fist would spare her. What a ridiculous thought, though. No one knew about her.

So she did get away and she was spared. She was safe, squeezed between the lockers, peeking out like the coward she was.

The queer boy's yellow boots seemed that much less shining as they were clutched between two shaking hands. Never in a lifetime had she witnessed something more cruel nor had she seen something similar sad (except for maybe her reflection in the mirror each morning).

He was unaware of the pair of dark eyes staring at him. They blended in perfectly with the even darker background when Santana pressed herself against the wall behind her, hoping she'd become invisible for real; just for a few seconds so she could pass by the crime scene, take a run and dig herself a hole to sink into.

She didn't move when the bell rang, neither did Kurt. The majority of kids passing him by didn't even care to take a look; some giggled, others tried almost desperately to avoid his sight and turned their heads in embarrassment. No one dared to get involved. They, too, were led by fear.

He was eventually picked up by Rachel. His shoulders were protected and his face was wiped, even though he attempted to push the girl away, defending the last bits of dignity he had left.

No one came to pick up Santana.

After a reasonable amount of time she bit down the last hint of tears that had been pressuring against her eyeballs, straightened her skirt and walked to her class with her chin up as if nothing had happened.

When Kurt transferred she didn't even say goodbye.

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><p><strong>I was going to add another chapter called "Artie". It would only have consisted of one word: "Blegh". Pure angst. Then I decided that would be really immature.<strong>


	6. Friendly fire

6: Friendly fire

"Can I just applaud this trio for exploring the uncharted world of Sapphic charm?"

She had brought this one upon herself, that much she knew. Wasn't she the one usually picking on others? The sarcastic remark from Rachel shouldn't have surprised her, shouldn't have bothered her and yet, it caught her completely off-guard. McKinley still belonged to the disoriented creature who lived off fear and flesh and picked its victims according to their level of diversity.

How could she ever have expected it to be different in the Glee club? How could she have thought she and Brittany were a special case? The reality was that they needed to hide themselves away, just like everyone else. In order to stick out you had to be the same.

Slowly Santana removed herself from the warm embrace of her best friend, trying to ignore the disappointment that was already scratching at the lines of Brittany's face.

"Just because I sang a song with Brittany, doesn't mean you can put a label on me."

Nodding briefly at the blonde as if she was supposed to agree she swallowed everything "Landslide" had brought up and hid it in the darkest corner of her heart.

If all her organs had to be crushed and burnt at least her shell could remain intact.

She knew looking at Brittany would have made her lose it. Her perfect hair framing her perfect face, which must have had fallen to the floor by then - it would have been unbearable.

What you don't see doesn't exist. So without even so much as a glance back to the blonde, Santana moved to reclaim her place in the crowd. Every chair she had ever sat on was really a thrown, because everyone knew she was really a princess.

Delilah, the princess of denial sat alone on her wooden thrown in the middle of her dark labyrinth.

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><p><strong>"Delilah" is a song by The Dresden Dolls.<strong>

**It's about a girl with a jerk of a boyfriend. She keeps running back to him, makes up excuses for him and finally comes to her friend to whine about how badly he treats her. "Delilah, the princess of denial" keeps popping up in my head whenever someone ignores the obvious.**


	7. Retreat

7. Retreat

It was only a little scratch, but the wound stung worse than she could have imagined. They said the first time is the worst and that every incident after that doesn't hurt as much. They said you could think of it as ripping a band-aid off your skin: better do it quick so your brain gets over the pain before anything serious happens.

What a lie.

For a split second she hadn't paid attention. Just the tiniest of moments in which she had allowed herself to be engaged in the conversation with her best friend and it had happened. Even though she had barely snuck out into the sunlight and only the tip of her nose had been visible she hadn't stood a chance. She hadn't seen it coming. The monstrous paw had missed her life by inches, pure luck; but the power behind the strike was nevertheless enough to tear out a huge chunk of flesh.

"Oh, I am so sorry."

_You can stop loving someone, but hate seems to go on forever._ People respect hate. _It speaks, it vibrates.*****_

The sarcasm was followed by a whole school full of laughter as icy gooey thick drops of blood were running down Santana's face. Her cheeks went numb as she stood there being slapped in the face by the realization of what had just happened.

So that was what it felt like to die.

There was a hand trying to grab her arm, but it was too late. The damage was done and all Santana could do now was to try and wash away the humiliation. Picking up as many pieces of her ego as she could find in her hurry, she yelled:

"I told you!"

Brittany didn't answer anything, but Santana saw her carefully covering the footprints the Latina left on her way to the restroom. She wouldn't let the beast follow her best friend to her lair in the woods.

At least Santana had an ally out in the fields.

And so she ran. She had to take shelter. She had to recover.

What else was she supposed to do?

* * *

><p><strong>*This is from the brilliant movie "Bang bang, you're dead". One of the most amazing ones I have ever seen in my entire life. Ben Foster at his best.<strong>

**Next up: The conclusion. Still twiddeling around with some parts, though. Give me a few days :)**


	8. Showdown

8: Showdown

**Be as thou wast wont to be**

**See as thou wast wont to see**

Don't be brave and face your fears unarmed. Everyone who's ever been out in the wilderness will tell you this: If the lion is after you, you don't just turn around. It would slay you without mercy.

You have to be ready. You have to be prepared. So run for your safety, get yourself a gun and then you can go back into the jungle. Don't throw yourself in with a loud bang, though. Do not destroy your advantage of surprise. Move slow and steady, careful not to break a stick. And when you find your enemy asleep, don't hesitate a second. Just shoot.

She opened her eyes and found her fingers tangled in golden locks. Brittany's head rested peacefully on her chest, rising and falling with every breath of the Latina. Leaning down Santana placed a soft kiss on top of her head. The morning sun came shining through the window, lit up the world and placed the couple in a soft spotlight. Even her beloved birds were back, singing more cheerful than ever. Everything was calm. Every creature on this planet was at peace at this early hour.

The beast was stunned, temporarily distracted and Santana's time had finally come. It was now or never.

Walking along the path in the labyrinth she had first entered as a child her steps were careful but firm. Right at this moment with Brittany resting in her arms in the safety of her home she wasn't afraid of anything. For the first time she truly dared to take a look at this alternative universe and saw it for what it really was.

This place wasn't some magical wonderland and its forests weren't enchanted. There was the horizon behind a hill she had to climb and behind every stone, behind every bush there could be hiding a rabbit or a snake; no fairy tale, just reality. Big secrets were waiting to be revealed indeed, but the outcome was uncertain; they were nothing but life itself. This world was scary and rough and full of unclouded truth. Every mistake ever made lay out in the open and there wasn't anything to smear them over with. With the mist of dreams gone, with the blur that rendered everything soft fading, there were so many facts to point your finger on.

It was the most beautiful thing Santana had ever seen in her entire life.

And with another bold step forward she cracked a single branch.

She had hoped the Minotaur had shrunk with her growth, weakened with her strength; but your own development has no impact on others. You are the only one who changes as you change. And so there it was racing towards her with full force at a terrifying speed, enormous as ever, ready to shred her to pieces, nostrils wide and steamy.

Knowing this was only her fight to fight Santana gently pushed Brittany aside, careful not to wake her. She had to be left out of this. Fortunately it wasn't her the beast was after and the second the blonde left Santana's arms she disappeared back into their cozy nest of pillows and blankets; back into the warmth and comfort of her home, their home.

Her heart almost beat out of her chest, but the brunette would not jump aside this time. She would not give in and scream and run and take shelter in the darkness. Instead she stood their, facing her nightmare as her right hand reached up to point two fingers at her enemy.

The fiend nonetheless did not show any intention of slowing down. It was his life or hers. She squinted her eyes and gasped as the true power of her opponent became apparent. This was the place. This was the time. There was no going back.

"I am not afraid anymore!"

She only had a few seconds left now before she would be hit. Steadying herself, self-confidently aiming at the monster's head, she took a last breath.

"You may rip me apart and you may take my skin, my flesh, my hair and bones from me and I will still be proud. Can you hear me?

I will never die!

I will live forever!

BANG!"

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><p><strong>Yup, that's it. Hope you enjoyed the little journey. I sure did.<strong>

**The last few lines are not only a reference, they are a full homage to the ending scene of Gantz (the anime). **

**We're here, we're queer and that will never change.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**PS: If you really have no clue what just happened, go check out the extra piece I uploaded on livejournal. It's NOT another chapter so I won't upload it here. **

**"9: Spelled out and destroyed" . Username: relax-o-vision . livejournal . com / 6565 . html**


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